ABC's of Traveling: Cusine
Welcome to my blog series the ABC's of Travel! The 1st of each month I will take you through some of the most interesting things that have happened to me while traveling A to Z. You can revisit my posts from the previous months, under the ABC's of Travel category. This month I tackle the letter C, where I talk about one of my favorite subjects, food! Namely, the best places to get a slice of pizza no matter the region.
It's really hard for me to make this post because I am limited by the places I've been, which is mostly the U.S. There are tons of food places I haven't tried but I can tell you one thing, I know pizza from around the States!
If you're in New England, cruise on up to Newport, NH and get yourself some Village Pizza. It's a little mom and pop resturant, high school kids are typically the ones slinging your pies and it is still to die for. If you're not in the mood for pizza, get a calzone - I recommend their artichoke, it's delish! Read all the yelp reviews, tons of folks from out of town, all rave reviews so no matter where you are in New England, it's worth the drive.
If you're in Florida, you'll want to make your way to a little suburb of Tampa called Port Richey and find your way to Alpha's. Order a pizza and get their Alpha Fries as an appetizer (with ranch or blue cheese - both made in house). Such a great place, little hole in the wall but excellent service and food.
The Yelp reviews have said there was a change in ownership and that the service has sense gone down hill. Makes me really sad to see that as I haven't been here since 2012. Hopefully, if you decide to give it a shot it will be better!
California is home to many types of restaurants and people who've come from distant lands and brought with them their knowledge of how a good slice should taste. So whether you're up in the Bay, hanging in Hollywood or surfing in San Diego, I know where to get you a slice to satisfy your pizza craving.
San Fransisco: You'll understand why The Cheese Board Collective in Berkeley is my favorite once you go. Their number one rule? Every pie must have two kinds of cheese on it. They also have a cheese counter and a bakery. LITERALLY ALL OF MY FAVORITE THINGS IN ONE PLACE. Basically, its what I would run if I opened a pizza place and believe me, if I ever win the lotto that's on my bucket list. There is a bit of a catch: the only sell one type of pizza each day, which changes from day to day, so you'll likely never eat the same pizza twice. When I went I was a vegetarian so it didn't bother me that there were no pizza's available with meat (they have a vegan option pizza as well) but that is something you should consider also.
Los Angeles: This one is more of a drive to suburb of Los Angeles than in L.A but Pasadena has some cool things to offer. Like Mama's Brick Oven Pizza & Pasta. To be fair, I've heard the place isn't exactly aesthetically pleasing but when I lived in L.A I never ordered delivery from anywhere else. The delivery is fast, they delivered to my work or home and the pizza is delish.
San Diego: Regents has a TON of options on their menu but what impresses me is two-fold. 1) You can wait for a whole pie or they sell it by the slice. 2) You can get Chicago and/or New York style pizza and it's authentic. I've gone to places claiming to have either Chicago or New York style and it is nothing like them. One place I went to in LA basically made me a bread bowl and tried to claim it was a Chicago style deep dish cheese pizza. It was runny marinara in a thin crust bowl with barely any cheese. This place has the goods. Like most places in California, make sure you get your parking validated so it's free!
Texas is a big state and my tasting has been limited to Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area. Hopefully I can expand with some El Paso / Panhandle and Austin / San Antonio experiences soon.
DFW: Bosses Pizza - North Richland Hills. They have a mini 80's game arcade and some pretty funky decor. The lunch pizza buffet is divine and I highly recommend the cheese steak pizza if you're like me, love pizza but can't really handle the tomato sauce anymore due to acid reflux. Getting old sucks.
Houston: Luigi's Pizzeria - Midtown. This place came as a recommendation from someone I knew in California who's sister went to med school at MC Anderson. It did not disappoint. While the space is claustrophobic inside, this place shines as far as outside dining goes. There is a covered picnic area and then an outdoor picnic area that is a shared courtyard with the business next door - or is it in their backyard? It's called Axel Rad and they have hammocks that you can sit in under a giant tree that has lights attached to it and running to the fence around the property. We went during the day so we weren't able to see the tree lit up however, I imagine lots of drunk girls falling out of the hammocks at night. Pizza in a hammock though, sign me up. The pizza was huge and tasted amazing. Definitely worth a stop and it's not far from the downtown freeway exchange.
This concludes my C is for Cuisine (and I picked my favorite, pizza!) travel ABC. All screenshots are from Yelp, so you can see the star ratings, their address and a few photographs of their food in case you want to try some of them out for yourself (please do)!
I have yet to visit NYC, Chicago or anywhere in the Pacific Northwest to test out their pizza's. If you've got suggestions I will take them because there is always a trip on the horizon and I've driven farther for less.
What is your favorite place to get pizza where you live?
What other types of places do you look for to eat at when traveling?
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